Sunday, 1 July 2012

in my kitchen: July 2012

I am participating in Celia's In My Kitchen event again. She has dedicated this month's event to Barbara of Winos and Foodies, who passed away on Friday. I'd like to add my condolences to her family and friends. I was aware of Barbara's lovely blog due to her fantastic event A Touch of Yellow that she held to raising awareness of cancer.

So I start this peek into my kitchen with a touch of yellow in these Corn Crunch snacks. Very crunchy, very moreish, and very very salty. They come into individual packs. Not good for the environment but great for throwing in your bag when you are out and about.

Another moreish snack that has graced our kitchen of late are tubs of these Chocolate berri-buds. Balls of soft milk chocolate with dried berries inside. It is hard to eat just one.

A healthier way to get a sweet fix is this Black Adder Liquorice tea. I used to drink this a lot and haven't drunk a lot of tea for ages. With the onset of winter I suddenly had a yen for a steaming mug of this tea. I couldn't find it in the supermarket but fortunately our health food store stocks it.

While on the topic of teas, I can't resist sharing this cute teabag. I bought E these RoyalTea teabags for Christmas. He wasn't that impressed with the actual taste of the tea but the bags are fun. Sylvia thought the man in the cup was hilarious. (Apologies, your majesty!)

French walnut oil. I bought this for a salad that I shall share soon. It made a huge difference to the dressing. I was surprised to find it wasn't the first time I had bought walnut oil. Though not in such a fancy tin before. I quite like the aesthetic of it. Maybe I need to make these brownies again.

My parents had a recent trip to Sydney and brought back some goodies. Above is the Hazelnut and Raisin Sourdough Bread from the Bourke Street Bakery. I loved the dense bread with the golden chewy crust. Great with soup. She also brought me a peach tea pot from Adrian Zumbo. It was delicious but I am less enamoured of creamy desserts.

Winter is the time when I struggle to find appealing fruit. My favourite packham pears seem to be passing their peak but I am enjoying eating oranges and mandarins. We only have one lime left on the tree but a few lemons still hang off the boughs of the lemon tree.

I discovered these Wallaby Bites in the health food section of the supermarket recently. Dried fruit, nuts and rice bubbles covered in chocolate. They hail from Byron Bay and are Gluten Free. Work has been very busy lately so it helps to have these snacks in a drawer in case of a chocolate emergency.

I will finish with a word of caution. Beware letting a 3 year old hold a baguette in the backseat of the car on the way home. We bought this sourdough baguette after lunch at Sugardough yesterday. It is hard to find a free table in the cute little bakery cafe. It is even harder to resist all the wonderful baked goods upon leaving. Seems that young children can't resist their bread either!

I am sorry to hear about Barbara - I didn't know her blog but it is always sad to hear of people passing. This was a lovely post to honour her memory and a lovey peek into your kitchen - I would happily share in many of the products here and indeed am enjoying liquorice tea myself this weekend. I have also been eyeing off those chocolate berry buds, but have had to step back from the Wallaby bites after eating far too many soon after discovering them and going off them a bit as a result!

Thanks Kari - it is sad you wont get a chance to know barbara - I didn't visit her blog often but always enjoyed it when I did.

I thought of you with the liquorice tea as I remember your tea post a while back - I have only bought one pack of wallaby bites - they are very moreish but I was taking muesli bars to work and finding them too bit so these suit more for the moment! The berry buds are more moreish so be warned!

Ha ha, that hole in the baguette made me laugh as did the irreverent comments about the Queen. I always enjoy these In My Kitchen posts because I just love nosing about other people's kitchens. And I'd love some of that liquorice tea.

Apologies about the blackcurrants. I must confess I assumed that if people couldn't get hold of the actual fruit, they would be able to get ribena or some other blackcurrant flavoured product. I think they can be grown in some parts of Australia, but they are more of a cool weather plant. I'm happy for you to substitute some other berry (preferably black) if you are struggling.

Thanks Choclette - shh - don't tell E about my irreverent comments about the queen! It is fun to nose around others' kitchens - and I have done my fair share so thought it was time to show a bit of mine!

No worries about the blackcurrants - an interesting challenge but just so far off my radar that I am not even sure if it is easy to find blackcurrant jam - it must be - though I know ribena is readily available - will see how I go

Thanks for the peek in your kitchen! Also, thank you for alerting me to Barbara's passing - I was not a regular reader but had followed her on and off for a few years, so I am sad to hear that she has lost her battle with cancer.

Love the baguette!I've always just torn the heel of the bread off for the children to enjoy on the way home- it keeps the rest of the bread tooth mark free!You've got quite a good selection of yummies! I'd love to try them all but except for the corn nuts- I'm not sure they are available over here! :)

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Recipes and reflections in which our vegetarian heroine dreams of being tall and graceful as a giraffe; being a goddess in the kitchen; and being gladdened by green gadgets, green food and green politics because green is the colour of hope. See About Me for more info.